


Sunday Night

by csishewolf



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Drama, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:46:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25514503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/csishewolf/pseuds/csishewolf
Summary: Boundaries are crossed when Weir visits Sheppard on the night of Carson Beckett’s death.
Relationships: John Sheppard/Elizabeth Weir
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclosure** : Not mine. But they were super fun to play with.  
>  **Rating** : Explicit. Very.  
>  **Pairing** : Sheppard/Weir  
>  **Spoilers/Continuity** : Up to and including S3:E17 (Sunday)  
>  **Errors** : All mine. No beta.  
>  **Author’s Notes** : I’m over a decade late to this party, but hey – better late than never, right? These two deserved far better than they got. Anyway, here’s my take on how the S.S. Sparky might have sailed. Prompted by a bite from a naughty little plot bunny who wouldn’t let go.

Her heels echoed across the glass walls of her office as she paced - restless, distraught. Today was supposed to be a holiday for Atlantis, a break from the chaos, a break from disaster and violence, from heartbreak. But that didn’t happen, did it? Instead she watched her people scramble to solve yet another crisis in this unknown and hostile land. Again, people were hurt. And again, people died.

For God’s sakes – did it have to be Carson? The tightness in her chest returned, and she ceased her trampling of the dull tile in order to regain her composure. Tears simmered and she blinked them away. She didn’t have time to mourn right now. She was the face everyone would be looking to tomorrow morning, and every morning after, just as she’d been the face of Atlantis since the day they’d all arrived. She had to stay strong.

She often wondered if the galaxy knew they didn’t belong here, if it was treating them like the alien invaders they were. When Elizabeth Weir agreed to lead the Atlantis Expedition, she knew she was taking on a huge responsibility; something far bigger than herself. She thought she was up for the challenge. But was she? They never seemed to come close to any semblance of normalcy, not since the moment they stepped through that Stargate on Earth almost three years ago. How many times had the city skirted destruction? Five? Six? She’d lost count. How many times had her people dodged an almost imminent death? Far too many. How many more times would there be, before this assignment took the rest of these people’s lives, and her own life as well?

She glanced at her watch. Almost midnight. God, what a long day. She leaned down and closed all the open applications on her computer. She knew better than to dwell on the past. Tomorrow was another day, and she was in charge of it. There was a ton of paperwork in her near-term future, all of it cold, unfeeling. Disrespectful. Carson’s would be the hardest… goddammit – did it have to be _Carson_? She inhaled deeply and flipped the laptop closed. She would deal with it in the morning.

Focusing her attention beyond her office, she felt rather than heard the stillness of the night. It had happened before; the postmortem of a chaotic event left a heavy pall on the city’s overall atmosphere. Those on night duty barely moved, and those in their quarters slept or stared in silence at their ceilings. Well, that’s what Elizabeth assumed they did; because that’s what she always wound up doing. Staring at the alien constructions surrounding her – torn between relief that she lived another day and sadness that others did not.

She took her time returning to her room, wandering up and down the empty hallways and listening for any sounds from the occupants behind closed doors. She was inherently nosey – would people actually sleep after all that had happened today? –but she was also concerned about everyone’s welfare. What if someone needed help, or a shoulder to cry on? She told herself that her snooping would soothe her ragged nerves; like a mother hen ensuring all her chicks were safe before turning in for the night. All seemed quiet on the home front, nothing but her shoes clopping softly on tile, until she passed John Sheppard’s door and heard a thud and muffled curse from within.

~~/// \\\\\~~

John Sheppard hated days like this. He hated days that reminded him of his own mortality, of the mortality of others. He hated seeing people running in fear, running away from yet another _something_ that he and his team were always running towards. The horror etched on their faces, the panic in their screams – he was so damned sick of it all.

Beckett was a good man. He died a hero, which is what he would have wanted, had he a choice in the matter. _Not that we all get that_ , he thought. Memories haunted him on days like this, and he shoved them down roughly in his mind. He didn’t have time to rehash his past mistakes. Heaven knows he’ll make tons more. His brain would probably play a slideshow of them all, right before he finally met his maker and left behind nothing but sentimental junk and a set of dog tags to be tossed into a government-issued plastic bin.

The digital display of his military-issue watch read 00:55:43. Shit. He had to be up at 0700 tomorrow to brief the teams for clean-up duty and repairs. He had the daily meeting with Weir at 0830. He had shit to do, and he needed a clear head in order to be able to do it.

He started undressing, placing his earpiece and watch on the desk next to his bed. He undid his belt, and klutz that he was, the tail end of it flipped across his desk and knocked both his watch and earpiece to the floor. Scowling, he bent down to find them – easily retrieving the watch but his earpiece had skated across the tile to the far right corner under his bed. He steadied himself on his right foot and stretched over his bed, reaching around with his right hand to fish for the earpiece. He lost his balance and flopped face down, his wrist banging painfully against the table near the other side of his bed.

“Goddammit! Ow!”

“John? You okay?”

The voice was muted through his door, but he knew that voice well. What was Weir doing up so late?

“I’m fine.” He didn’t know what prompted him to say it, and he’d wonder about it for days later, but he called out, “C’mon in.”

The door chimed softly, and he lifted his head to grin at her. “Hi there.”

“What… are you doing?”

“Late-night Athosian calisthenics,” he chirped. “Teyla taught me.”

A hint of a smile painted itself on her lips. “Uh huh.”

“All right so I fell. I’m clumsy. Sue me. Anyway, why are you up… and why are you prowling around outside my quarters? It’s probably after oh-one-hundred by now.” He pushed himself off his bed and stood, hiking up his khakis that had shifted a little lower than was appropriate for polite company. He scanned her face. “Hey, you okay?”

She sighed, and the hint of a smile disappeared. “Long day.”

He mirrored her sigh. “Yeah.”

They stood in awkward silence, until the door behind them swished closed in compliance with its automated programming. The room sensed the presence of inhabitants, and unless told otherwise, would close after ninety seconds.

The sound startled Elizabeth. “Oops! Well, I should be going…”

John wasn’t the best at reading women – hell he was probably one of the worst – but for a while there he thought she was going to say something. “You didn’t answer me,” he stated softly, but firmly. “Are you okay?”

“Truth be told? I don’t know. I don’t even know what ‘okay’ is anymore.”Her eyes turned serious. “Tell me, how do you deal with it?”

“Deal with what?”

“The death. The loss. Did the military train you on how to handle it? You’ve certainly seen far more than I, and to be honest, you do bounce back a lot quicker than I do.”

John scoffed. “The United States Air Force isn’t big on touchy-feely types of things. At least, not while you’re on Active Duty.”

“But they do train you, don’t they?”

“They do, but I wouldn’t say what they teach is helpful.”

Elizabeth walked towards him. “Why not?”

“Because a lot of it is how not to think about what happened. That it is good if a soldier died while serving his country. That losing him isn’t a loss – it’s an honor.” He stared hard into her eyes. “It’s bullshit.”

“Well you might think that, but...”

“But what, Elizabeth? You think their training will help you somehow? Do you want to turn into a heartless rule-following zombie?”

“I can’t believe it’s like that.”

He was in her face. “I can assure you it most certainly is!”

“Says the man who challenges any authority that conflicts with his own!”

John’s temper flared and he opened his mouth to fire back at her… but then he closed it. Why in the world did she think she needed this anyway? His mind rewound the conversation, replayed it, and… he was still confused. “What exactly are you looking for?”

Her shoulders drooped. “A better coping mechanism. Something to stop all the… the anger.” She looked away from him and he heard the shame in her voice. “The pain. And the guilt. Especially the guilt.”

He put his hand on her shoulder. “You shouldn’t feel guilty. What happened today wasn’t your fault.”

“Wasn’t it? I’m the one that told Rodney to start making some headway on our research of Atlantis technology. I’m the one who ordered the day off, so that more people were in the cafeteria than normal.” She lifted her head, and he saw the dampness in her eyes. “It’s always me, John. I’m the one that’s accountable. I’m the one that has to radio Stargate Command and IOA tomorrow. I’m the one who has to write all the reports, so it’ll be forever memorialized that more people died on my watch.”

Something clicked in John’s mind, and he saw her with a clarity he didn’t have before. She was a leader, sure, but he had been in her shoes. He too had to tell bigwig authority figures about people who died on his watch. He too had a paper trail of mistakes.

“I get it… I know it’s not pretty. I don’t know how you manage to keep it all together like you do. It’s why I didn’t want command of this place and I never will.”

Her voice cracked, “Do I _look_ like I’m keeping it together?”

“Actually, most of the time, yeah. You’re passionate about Atlantis and all the people here.Some might call that a little emo, but I don’t think anyone questions your ability to lead.”

She blinked at him, and a tear eased over her lashes. “I… well, thank you. I guess.”

He couldn’t help himself; he reached over and wiped the tear away with his thumb. “I’m not real big on all that politically correct stuff, and how women in positions of authority are supposed to behave. I know it’s gotta be hard, because men can be real dicks sometimes. But I seriously doubt that anyone on this base blames you for what happened today.” He shrugged. “Hell, we’re all be looking to you tomorrow for what to do next.”

John didn’t know what he said wrong, but the tear he wiped away was suddenly replaced by another. And many more as Elizabeth covered her face in her hands and sobbed.

“Hey,” he murmured. “Hey, it’s all right.” He pulled her to him and she buried her face into his neck. _Um…_ this was starting to edge near some very hard boundaries he’d set up a long time ago. But what could he do? “It’ll be all right,” he told her.

“No,” she choked. “It won’t be. Carson is dead, John! And now everyone is going to look to me for answers, for a path forward, when really, it’s my fault he’s dead. I am so tired of this - of being the single rock in a sea of chaos _all the time_. Who the hell am I supposed to go to for answers to my questions, for my path forward? Where’s my mother hen?”

He peered down at her. “Hey, you’re not…. wait, what now?”

She snuffled, swiping at her eyes. “Oh, well… I told myself when I was wandering the halls tonight that I was like a mother hen making sure all her chicks were okay.”

“I see.”

She banged him lightly on the shoulder with her fist. “Oh, it made sense to me at the time.” She sniffled again and then laid her head back on his shoulder. That took him by surprise, until he realized he had his arms wrapped pretty tightly around her. He didn’t quite remember how that happened.

“Well, I’m not so dumb to miss your analogy, but I think you’re wrong. You do have people to take care of you.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Me, for one.”

She exhaled slowly. “I guess.”

He grabbed her shoulders lightly and pushed her back, so he could see her face. “Whaddaya mean, ‘I guess’?”

She met his eyes, and her voice was soft and sad. “John…”

He would remember it clearly – in fact, it would haunt him. Her cheeks were tear-streaked and blotchy, her pale green shirt rumpled, and her hair ruffled up a bit on one side. It was not her best look. But the intensity in her eyes bored right through him, flicking on one of the few dim bulbs remaining in his otherwise brilliant mind. She was right. She didn’t have anyone to take care of her. Not like she really needed. Because at the end of the day, she was no different than him or anyone else on Atlantis. She was human. A person with insecurities and needs. Fears. Wants. He’d realize later that what he saw in her eyes was loneliness, and it echoed his own.

He kissed her. It broke every rule he had, and the logical portion of his mind – the one that tried so hard to keep him from making stupid mistakes – shrieked in alarm. But he’d be damned if she thought he wouldn’t be there for her. Because he would, and she needed to know it. So he told her, in the only way he knew how.

~~/// \\\\\~~

In a way, it was familiar. She had kissed John Sheppard before, even though it felt like she was watching a dream when it happened – a dream that turned into a nightmare. Mental alarms clanged in her ears, but they were drowned out by a surge of excitement and joy that came from somewhere around her heart. Which was interesting, because although the excitement was familiar – she had been kissed by Mike Branton less than 24 hours ago after all – the joy was kind of a surprise.

It wasn’t like she was blind, and there were times she wished things were different between her and Sheppard. But he was an obvious fly boy, which meant he was also a playboy. And she had an expedition to run. It was like she told Mike, she couldn’t afford that type of distraction. She wasn’t interested in a fling.

So why was she kissing him back? A small voice in her head stated simply: _You wanted this. Don’t deny it._

His room was dimly lit by the track lighting along the walls, and she saw the reflection of the moon on the sea through the partially opened curtains. It created a weird shimmer across his bed, a mix between romance and gloom. He was still kissing her (or was she kissing him?) when she reached for his neck and traced two fingers through the soft, short strands at the nape. She’d wanted to do that for ages, and now she had. It was thicker than she expected, and his skin was soft there, too.

His hands cupped her cheeks as he broke away from her.“’Lizbeth… Shit, I…”

She knew what he was going to say. It was a mistake. He was sorry. She didn’t want to hear any of it. So she kissed him instead. Hard.

“Don’t,” she told him. “Please…”

His eyes darkened – she could tell he was fighting his own internal demons. She knew fraternization was forbidden; it was ingrained in the military culture from Day One.But she had a shitty day - not counting all this kissing, of course - and a shitty year, and she was tired of all of it. For one night, she wanted to feel like someone other than the leader of this crazy alien city.She wanted to forget that her life was nothing but danger and chaos, with side orders of administrative bullshit and political minefields. She wanted to just be Elizabeth, a woman who liked a man. This man. She didn’t drop her gaze, but she did drop the mental barriers. She let him see how she felt, and she let him decide what to do.

~~/// \\\\\~~

It was _really_ wrong. John knew it, because it felt so damn good. She felt so damn good – her weight in his arms, her skin against his fingers, her lips against his. She was staring at him with bedroom eyes and… something a little bit more.

Long suppressed urges were coming to life from the heat in those eyes, and they were waking up hungry. Starving, really. Parts of his body that were previously at Parade Rest were now rapidly pounding their way to Attention. He flicked his tongue across his lips in uncertainty – and he tasted Elizabeth.

Training engrained in every fiber of his being shrieked and screamed words like ‘dishonorable discharge’ and ‘disrespect to the Air Force’. Which wasn’t quite true, because she was a civilian. However, Stargate Command and the IOA might not see it that way. Regardless, he already knew what he wanted, shit – he’d wanted it for years. He just knew there would be consequences. Big ones. It was risky as hell, and therefore was never an option.

Yet now it was, and he wasn’t one for doing something half-assed. If they did this, he’d take it as far as she wanted it to go. He wouldn’t pussy out later. A tiny voice piped up from way in the back of his mind. This might hurt. He could fall for her. She wasn’t some bit of fluff on some far away planet. She wasn’t a way to make a bad situation bearable. She was Dr. Elizabeth Weir, and she was his friend. He respected her. He cared about her.

And she cared about him too, it seemed. Maybe there didn’t need to be more to it than that. They were two consenting adults doing what they wanted to do, right?

Yeah, he’d go with that.Because any other alternatives were rapidly becoming impossible.

~~/// \\\\\~~

She saw the shift in him, the decision made in seconds that lasted hours, and her heart leaped in her chest. Then it skipped a beat, because John leaned down and kissed her. Like _really_ kissed her. Instinctively she recognized his hunger, and her own libido roared to life, eager to meet his. It made her lightheaded and dizzy, and the world around her dimmed to nothing but him. His tongue, his lips, the heat of his breath on her neck.

He tugged at her shirt, and she raised her arms to help him. Once free, she pulled at his golf polo, so different from his normal military uniform, and he duplicated her performance. She ran her hand across the crinkled mat of fur on his chest, while he traced a finger lightly down the edge of her bra. They explored each other, hesitant and curious, until John waved his hand across a sensor along the wall and the Atlantian lights faded to dark.

“C’mere,” he murmured, taking her hand. She walked with him to his twin bed, following his lead as he turned her and sat her down in the middle. He brushed back a tendril of hair that had fallen in her face before kneeling in front of her. His eyes were blue-green in the moonlight. “Look, I’m going to say this now, and get it out of the way. I want you.” His head tilted towards the bed, “…and this. But before we do this, I need to know if I have to do anything to protect you.”

Elizabeth shook her head no. Thank God for IUDs.

“Ok, good, because I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do if you said ‘yes’. I also need you to tell me if you want… well, anything.” She could have sworn he was blushing. His words were running together. “Or don’t want it. Or you want me to stop. Or…”

She put her hand on his cheek. “John?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.” She reached behind his neck and pulled him to her. When they came up for air, she kicked off her shoes and leaned back on his bed to slither out of her pants. It had been a while since she’d been intimate with a man, but she was fairly confident she hadn’t lost all of her appeal. She stretched out and looked up at him, hoping he’d be pleased with what he saw.

She wasn’t disappointed. The half-slack jaw and the tenting in his khakis left little to her imagination. She blinked and he was on top of her, sans pants. His eyes roamed her skin and he murmured a soft “wow”.

“You aren’t so bad yourself,” she purred. The feel of his weight, his skin on hers, was making her brain twirl again.

He kissed her shoulder, then her neck, and then his lips traveled lower, sending heated tingles through her body. He reached behind her and removed her bra with practiced ease. She smiled to herself – she expected that. Then his mouth was on her and she forgot to expect anything else. A soft moan rumbled in her throat and he raised his head to kiss her there, while his hands took over where his mouth had left.

She wanted to touch him, but he kept distracting her, driving her crazy with his hands and his mouth. Which, she realized through her hazy thoughts, was probably what he was going for. He tugged at her panties a few moments later, and she arched her back to help him. She felt him shift his weight, removing his briefs, and then he was on top of her, their bodies testing the springs of the mattress but not the frame beneath. Thank God for Ancient technology. He ran his hand along the curve of her thigh, sending shivers up her spine. “Damn, you are beautiful. I mean, I knew but… damn.”

He leaned down and kissed her, sending trails of them down her neck and shoulders. He nibbled behind her ear and she groaned. He pulled her skin between his teeth and suckled, and her groan deepened. It figured he would discover her sensitive spots on his first try.

She ran her fingers lightly down his back, surprised to feel more than a few scars there. She was curious about those, but her real focus was a little lower. She was able to reach down and finally, she wrapped her hand around him. He grunted and she felt his body tense when she started to squeeze him, moving her thumb slowly up and down his shaft. He was hard, and getting harder, which was highly satisfying to her. She could do this to him. She _was_ doing this to him. 

“’Lizbeth…” he growled.

“Mmm?”

“I won’t last much longer if you keep that…” He gasped on his last word when she leaned forward and ran her tongue across one nipple. He scowled down at her with mild frustration. Something she couldn’t quite describe was flickering in those fiery eyes. His left hand reached for hers and pulled it away, pinning it firmly to the mattress. He kneed her thighs apart and she felt his heat against her leg. Before she had the mental time to prepare, he had positioned himself and slid inside.

Now it was her turn to gasp, as her body wasn’t used to such treatment, despite being quite ready for him. He moved slowly, gently; somehow he knew and didn’t want to hurt her. She shifted beneath him and the discomfort eased, only to be replaced by a much warmer, much better feeling.

He felt amazing. It was surprising how good he felt. Sex wasn’t foreign to her, but most men she’d been with had either been a little too big for her, or far too small. He was neither, and it was different, and it felt freaking _fantastic._

She spread her legs a little wider and after that she was focused on nothing but him and her own sensations of pleasure. He could read her body, and she surrendered herself to him, to what he was doing to her. She cried out when she came, it had been so long and the intensity shocked her. She wasn’t normally a screamer. He slowed afterwards and she reached for him, hugging his neck. He lifted her back off the mattress in order to wrap his arms around her shoulders. She clung to him when he started to drive into her, whimpers crossing her lips with each thrust he made.She felt his breath on her neck, small puffs of heat that grew stronger, harder. She rose her hips to meet his, finding his rhythm and matching it. This was like no sex she’d had before and her body shuddered from the sensations. They were in sync, a matched pair, meeting and responding to the other with a natural ease. She felt waves of pleasure that pulled deep from inside her, waves that got stronger over time. It was affecting him as much as it was affecting her; she felt his heartbeat under her palms and the tense, tight muscles in his shoulders. His face was buried in her neck when he strained and thrust heavily once, twice and then a final last time with a deep, almost painful-sounding, groan.

They lay together, damp with sweat and sex. His heart still thudded, and his breathing was choppy. So was hers, and she felt every beat of her own heart as it softly pulsed through her core. She was shaky and not more than a little disoriented from what had just happened. When he rolled off her later – she wasn’t sure how much time passed – the cool air coated her body and she shivered.

“Oh!” he murmured. “Let me get a blanket.”

Her mouth was dry when she tried to speak, so she sputtered a little when she said, “No, no, it’s okay.” She sat up, the happy haze of good sex buzzing in her head. “Damn.”

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing. I’m just…” And suddenly the ice bucket of reality splashed down on her head. She had just been thoroughly fucked by Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard. In his room. In his bed. Her body was throbbing quite pleasantly because of it – and she was _just about to tell him so_. She looked down at her watch – 2:42 a.m. Shit, she hadn’t even taken off her watch. Or her socks. _Holy Mother of God – what the hell just happened?_

She mustered every ounce of dignity she had and gathered up her clothes. John stood naked on the other side of the bed, his brows furrowed. “Um…”

“I… just checked my watch. It’s almost 3 a.m. We’ve both got a really busy day ahead of us, so I think it’s probably best if I leave now.” She yanked on her pants and scanned his floor for her bra.

“Oh… well…. I guess you’re right. Don’t want people to see you leaving my room or anything.” He ran a hand through his tousled hair. He looked sexy and masculine, the epitome of both, and Elizabeth cursed herself for being such an idiot, because damned if she didn’t want a Round Two.

“That’s right,” she quipped a little too abruptly while pulling her shirt back on. “So I’d better be going.”

He noticed her tone immediately, and his reply was cool. “Okay then.”

She picked up her shoes. “It’s fine, John. I’m… it’s fine.”

“Okay.”

She hurried towards the door, unwilling to meet his gaze. She already knew what she’d find there.

“Err… so, bye,” she mumbled, waving her empty hand at the door sensor.

“Bye, Elizabeth” he replied, but she barely heard him, as she was sprinting down the hallway in her socks the second the door opened.

Once safe in her room, she stripped and stood in her shower for fifteen minutes, shivering despite the warm spray on her back. What the hell had she just done? And what the hell was she going to do about it?


	2. Chapter 2

Dirt from M3-487A, embedded in the tread of his combat boots, broke free and crunched beneath him as he paced his quarters – restless, frustrated. He tramped harder, gaining satisfaction from repeatedly pulverizing the small clumps of soil. It had been over two weeks since he and Elizabeth had … sex seemed like an understatement, and she hadn’t spoken to him since.

He knew she was busy. He knew the cleanup from the explosions took up a lot of her time that next day, Monday, and the day after, Tuesday. At their daily standups, she was focused and driven, handing out assignments to teams and orchestrating what needed to be done. To the city, she was calm, organized and confident. Beckett’s eulogy was a testament to that. He saw how she kept it together, despite her emotions, and he was proud of how well she handled herself. There was no trace of the uncertainty she spoke of, nor of guilt or anger. She was like she always was - composed, compassionate and a leader. 

Shortly after they returned from the funeral on Earth, he and his team were sent off-world for more than a week. One of the more evolved gate planets needed help with their shiny new USAF-issued perimeter defense systems, and they had shuffled back and forth between Atlantis and M3-487A for days. McCay had whined about the heat and mosquitoes while doing his magic with the computers and sensors, Ronon had growled and glared at everyone, and Teyla, back to active duty but clearly not 100%, had spent all her time explaining to the locals that Rodney’s constant insults to their scientists weren’t really insults.

John couldn’t even remember their race – Morphalpians? Modarsians? In his mind, they were the ‘1776 planet’, because everyone looked like the photographs he’d seen of the thirteen colonies and the Revolutionary War. They even had military folk in blue with bayonets and tricorn hats.

He hadn’t needed to be there, but where his team went, he went. Radio contact and actual trips back and forth to Atlantis had been brief, so there were no real opportunities for any type of liaisons with Elizabeth. Instead he used his somewhat-free time to come to terms with a few things. One was Beckett’s death – which hit him harder than he expected. When the senior representative of the settlement approached Teyla about a sick elderly woman, she’d radioed back to Atlantis for a doctor. To see someone other than Beckett appear through the Stargate was jarring, and it was then he realized he’d never hear the man’s Scottish burr ever again. He’d never see that face, filled with doctorly concern, hovering over a member of his team, or himself. He would never again watch in wonder as Dr. Carson Beckett thought up some brilliant medical solution to whatever alien or Wraith-inflicted damage they bumbled their way into, and then patch them up within the nick of time. Atlantis would learn a hard lesson when the true impact of Beckett’s absence came to light, and John mourned for a man who did more with his life than he himself ever would.

He’d also thought about Elizabeth. How could he not? He’d replayed their evening together in his mind many times. Sure, she’d been a little weird afterward, but some women were like that. They got shy. The first time was always a little awkward.

He decided he wanted to give it – well them, really – a try. A relationship. She deserved someone who would treat her right and take care of her, and he’d convinced himself that he could be that guy. It was a little out of his comfort zone, but he knew he wanted more from her than just sex. Although his reawakened libido irritated the hell out of him by thinking about nothing but sex. There were memories of her that had burned into his psyche, and they pestered him at the most inopportune times. Like when he was trying to sleep. Or when he was trying to give his report, and she would say the word ‘please’ and his mind would replay her saying it in a completely different context.

He’d been excited to return to Atlantis permanently a couple days ago. The moment he’d gotten back, he made sure to finish up his reports quickly, so he could wash up and change his sheets before she visited him that night. He would tell her, and then they’d be together. Happy. There was no doubt in his mind that she would come to him. But then, she didn’t show up. And she still hadn’t. He’d been back three days now. It didn’t make any sense to him. Where was she? Why wasn’t she coming to see him?

~~/// \\\\\~~

Elizabeth covered her face with her hands and sighed. The screen in front of her was stuck on page three of a report from SGC that she was supposed to be reading, and it had been stuck there for about forty-five minutes. Her watch read 11:52 p.m. She sighed again and decided to call it a night. She put her laptop on her nightstand and waved off the lights. John had been back three days, and he hadn’t come to talk to her yet. Odds that he was coming tonight were slim, so she might as well try to get some sleep.

She didn’t regret sending him off-world. She needed the time as well as some distance from him to come to terms with what she’d done, and what the overall implications were. She played out various scenarios in her mind, on repeat, and had come to the conclusion they had three options. They could never speak of it again and return to a professional relationship. The duty-filled overachiever part of her liked this option a lot. Her heart hated it though. It liked the other two options: either spend time with John in secret or spend time with him in public and to hell with the consequences.

The safest option was the second one. That way if things didn’t work out, a possibility she couldn’t ignore, no one would be the wiser. John was who he was. A good man, but also a hot-headed military type who solved problems with weapons and not words. The real challenge would be keeping it a secret. Sneaking around Atlantis would be unbelievably tricky. People were everywhere, all the time. It was only due to the tragedy of that Sunday that things were so quiet that night.

She’d also decided that he would have to come to her. She had gone to him, and she was the one that instigated things. Now it was his turn. She wasn’t one of his fluff-brained little floozies that fawned over him and flopped themselves into his bed. She wasn’t going to start this … relationship… God, that sounded so weird… where she was the one chasing him. He needed to meet her halfway.

It crossed her mind that what happened between them might be a one-night stand. Heat crept up her cheeks at the thought – the concept was shameful and embarrassing. She wasn’t that kind of woman. But she couldn’t change the past. She’d told herself that once he was back, she’d give him a week to come to her. If he didn’t – then it was done and she’d pretend it never happened. A pain shot through her, but she squelched it back down. It was up to him now, not her. Right? Right.

~~/// \\\\\~~

Two more days and two more lonely nights passed, and John was about ready to lose his mind. Elizabeth still hadn’t come to his quarters. Elizabeth hadn’t done or said anything at all. She looked right through him during their meetings, cool and professional. He wanted to scream at her, ask her what the hell her problem was, but he couldn’t do that because she was constantly swarmed by so many other people. They were everywhere. He didn’t realize how many people were in Atlantis until he actively tried to find time to talk to her alone. 

He was leaving the cafeteria after lunch with McCay and Ronon when he saw her and some dark-haired guy walking towards them. See? This was his point. She was never alone. The hair on the back of John’s neck rose when he noticed the way the guy was looking at Elizabeth. All men knew that look. Primal instincts flared in his gut. The moment was over before it began, as the pair passed by without stopping, engrossed in their conversation.

“Oh, look at that,” McCay muttered in his weird sing-song sarcasm. “Weir got a second date.”

John’s brows hit the ceiling and his voice rose an octave. “What?”

Ronon laughed. “I think it’s the other way ‘round. That dude’s got it bad for her. Been sniffing around for a while.”

“Well,” Rodney chirped, “I saw them having lunch a couple of weeks ago. They looked rather happy together.” He grinned his quintessential ‘I-Know-Everything’ grin and continued, “I even heard they were kissing in one of the overlooks.”

John stopped short. “Excuse me?!”

Ronon and McCay stopped and peered back at him with tandem expressions of surprise and confusion.

“Um,” Rodney drawled, “why do you care? You like beautiful Ancient women.”

Ronon’s head whipped to McCay. “He does?”

“Yeah, and he’s gotten more action than any of us since we got here.”

Ronon’s eyes widened along with his grin, and he smirked at John. “Is that so.”

“I was stuck in an Ancient village and had no way home. I was there for months. You both know that. Look,” John sputtered, “she came onto me. What was I supposed to do?” He frowned. “It doesn’t matter anyway, she Ascended.”

McCay’s eyes rolled upward, his ‘I’m-recalling-data-from-my-vast-repository-of-knowledge’ expression. “What about the one from… Proculus? The priestess? Can’t forget her.”

“I’m not interested in her.”

“She was interested in you. So Weir, huh?” Rodney peered over John’s shoulder. “Looks like you’re too late. That ship has sailed.”

“I never said I was interested in Elizabeth!”

“You never said you weren’t, either.” McCay was beaming and John swore if the man said one more smarmy word, he’d deck him. Rodney lifted his head again. “Oh look, I think they’re holding hands. Isn’t that sweet?”

That was it. John was going to smash McCay’s uber-brilliant skull against the cold Ancient wall. Twice.

“He told me he wasn’t interested in anyone,” Ronon murmured to Rodney, the dark eyes still focused on John in amusement. “I think he lied to me.”

This was ridiculous. “I am not interested in _anyone_ ,” he barked. “Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” Ronon replied, still grinning.

“Methinks thou doth protest too much,” McCay sang.

“That’s it, I’m done with both of you.” He pointed his finger two inches from Rodney’s nose, and Rodney flinched. “Call me when you have the simulation working.”

John stomped away from his friends, furious. He’d be damned if he let them or anyone in this godforsaken alien shithole know about him and Elizabeth. His private life was just that – private, and this time he was going to keep it that way. And what the ever-loving- _hell_ was going on with her? Jealousy rumbled in his gut, along with an unfamiliar pain. Did it really mean nothing to her? Did he mean nothing? Was she actually dating that bozo?

“So,” McCay said to Ronon, loud enough for John to hear, “you think this is real? I mean, how bad do you think he’s got it?”

“Pretty damn bad.”

“I do not have _anything_ bad!” John shouted back at them, his voice echoing loudly down the corridor.

“Oh,” Rodney muttered. “That bad. Well that’s interesting.”

Ronon chuckled. “Definitely.”

~~/// \\\\\~~

Elizabeth’s pulse skittered when she saw John, Rodney and Ronon walking towards her and Mike Branton. When Mike asked her to meet with him to help translate some of the Ancient symbols he and his team had found on equipment they’d recently uncovered within the bowels of the city, she’d agreed. When he’d asked to extend their discussion to a working lunch, she was hesitant. But it had been a couple weeks since their “date”, and Mike assured her his intentions were sincere. Work only.

Perhaps it was loneliness, or the need to push the now-expired timetable she set for John Sheppard from her mind, but she hadn’t been all that displeased when he asked. Now she was regretting it. She rattled off a question to Mike, desperate to avoid eye contact with the trio as she headed towards the cafeteria.

Her nerves eased when she settled into a chair and placed her lunch tray on the table. Mike sat next to her, and throughout their meal he held true to his word, maintaining a constant stream of dialogue solely focused on their struggles to translate Ancient into some semblance of English. His laptop was between them, and they referred to it often. The challenge was real, certain times the Ancients reused a set of symbols to mean something completely different than the symbols meant individually. 

They were almost finished when he turned to face her and said, “Still think men and women can’t be friends?”

Elizabeth frowned. “I think men and women can work together in a professional capacity and get along quite fine in that context.”

Charm oozed from his words. “An eloquent answer, but not to the question I asked.”

Her lips tightened. “We discussed this. As far as I’m concerned, that topic is closed. We can agree to disagree.” She stood, collecting her tray wtih the remains of her soup and salad. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to return to my office.”

Mike gathered his own tray and hurried to walk beside her. “Then please, allow me the honor of escorting you.”

“Mike, I told you before that I can’t afford any distractions.”

“Yes, you did. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need any distractions. You just may not know it yet.”

Elizabeth’s anger spiked. She stopped in the middle of the corridor to face him. “Do you seriously think I’m going to change my mind?”

“You may, in time. I’m willing to wait.” He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “I’m not going to give up, Dr. Elizabeth. You might as well get used to it.”

She stepped back, away from him, realizing she had created a new problem for herself. She should have told him ‘no’ today and been firm. But she was trying to come to terms with the fact that the … incident with John was likely a one-time thing.

Damn her weak will! What she really should have done was maintain the boundaries she’d established for herself regarding work relationships decades ago. Look at what had happened when she crossed them! She now had a man who didn’t want to take no for an answer, and another who apparently didn’t think she was worth his time.

“This is over, Mike,” she said firmly. “Good day to you.”

He grinned but said nothing, and she felt his eyes burning into her back as she continued down the hallway.

She was only in her office for an hour when Dr. Zelenka paged her regarding a problem with the power generators. Great – that’s all they needed. More power problems. Frustrated and edgy, she headed out into the city.

Two transporters and five long corridors later, she was finally at the west pier power distribution center. When she turned into the center’s control room, Teyla’s voice met her ears. “… do not think this conversation is appropriate, Rodney.”

“I don’t see the problem,” McCay chirped. “I’m just repeating the facts. Right, Ronon?”

“I’m staying out of this,” the large man replied, his eyes locking onto Elizabeth. Beyond them, nestled behind a row of power cells, was Radek - studying the group intently through his owl-like glasses. Whatever they were discussing was intriguing enough to eavesdrop upon.

“What’s going on?” Elizabeth asked as she entered the room, genuinely curious. 

Three more sets of eyes met hers, and all four mouths tightened.

“Well?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Rodney said hurriedly. “Nope. Not a thing.”

Teyla, with natural authority, stepped up to speak for her teammates. “Please excuse us, but what we were discussing is a private matter.” She glared at Rodney, “One that is highly inappropriate for a public setting.”

Rodney shrunk into himself a tiny fraction, mollified. 

“Well then,” Elizabeth stated politely, “forgive my intrusion.” She nodded at Teyla. “And thank you for trying to maintain propriety. Idle gossip is not something I’ll tolerate within this city.” She shot a look at McCay. “Is that understood?”

“Oh yes, completely understood. No gossiping here, nuh uh.”

Ronon grabbed Rodney’s shoulder, “Let’s go.” 

The trio left the room and Elizabeth met Radek in front of his workstation. “So, what’s the problem?”

“Oh! Well it seems Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard likes a woman, but he saw her today on a date with another man. A second date.” He looked down at his terminal. “I didn’t hear the whole story. I don’t understand why these people are so unprofessional… I mean, I’m not seeking out ladies while I’m here…”

Holy shit – that was her. They had to be talking about her. Elizabeth’s tummy did a little flip. John did care. He did like her. Wait – how did they know about her first date with Mike? Hmm… maybe Carson told them. Sadness muted her happy heart. She missed Carson.

Radek coughed and sanity quickly grounded her emotional whirlwind. Goddammit, her inability to focus was getting out of hand. What the hell was wrong with her?

John. John was what was wrong with her. To hell with time limits; they needed to talk. The whirlwind kicked back into high gear, sending thoughts swirling through her mind. What did Ronon, Rodney and Teyla know? What didn’t they know? What would she say to John? GAH – she was such an idiot! This was why personal relationships at work were such a bad idea!

Zelenka was staring at her with fear in his eyes, “Um… that’s not what you were asking about, was it?”

“No, it damn well wasn’t!” She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “No, it wasn’t.” She needed to calm down; to help Radek with whatever his problem was. Then she needed to go find John. 

Unfortunately, the minute she left, she was pinged by Dr. Keller to Medical. After that the rest of her day blurred into frenzied administrivia, and she didn’t even have a chance to think about John until she was finally back in her room.

She’d go to him tonight and explain everything. It would be uncomfortable, but at least they wouldn’t be in limbo any longer. She’d psyched herself up for the conversation during a long, hot shower. She was dressed in her robe and towel-drying her hair when her door chimed.

~~/// \\\\\~~

John ran. He ran until his calves burned, and then he ran some more. Sweat trickled down his temples, down his back, but he kept pushing himself until he was gasping for air. Then he slowed, allowing his body to recover, and made his way back to his quarters.

He was angry. He was confused. And he knew he couldn’t have a decent conversation with Elizabeth until he was calm. Well, calmer. The laps around the city and the cool down walk afterwards had helped a little, but only a little. He stood in his shower for far more than his normal five minutes, and it too helped. But his pride was chafed, and there was an ache in his chest. He wasn’t even sure what he was feeling; articulation of emotions wasn’t something he was big on. But he didn’t like the current state of affairs. Not one bit.

So he’d go to her and ask her what the hell was going on. What she wanted of him. A quick, simple request. If she didn’t want to see him again, well – he would have to live with that. If he couldn’t deal with seeing her and that guy, in time he would request a transfer off Atlantis. He’d certainly done enough with his military career here that they would reassign him to someplace decent. 

He didn’t like the idea of leaving Atlantis, of leaving his team, his friends. He would try to move on as best he could while staying here. His chest tightened, and his anger flickered to life again. He didn’t like that she made him feel this way, either. It made him feel pathetic, which was exactly what Rodney and Ronon were implying earlier.

He chose clean black cargo pants, a clean black shirt, his belt and just one firearm. The vest felt too work-related, but going anywhere without at least one gun made him feel naked. See? He was flexible. He could adapt to lots of things.

He felt less adaptable, and more awkward, as he approached her quarters. He didn’t remember the last time he ‘called on’ a lady. His high school prom, maybe? The military lifestyle didn’t exactly allow for permanent residency. Prior to Atlantis, he’d found that wherever he went, women just gravitated to him. The vast majority invited him back to their bedrooms, but some had come back with him to his quarters. He allowed this only if he was assigned to an on- or off-base apartment of his own. He was too old for the college shenanigans of hanging ties around the door handle.

The awkwardness grew when he stood outside her door. _Welp, here goes nothing._ He waved his hand near the sensor and took a deep breath.

~~/// \\\\\~~

“Just a minute,” Elizabeth called, rushing to pull on a pair of baggy pajama pants and a tank top. Was it him? Or just another work-related crisis? A spark burned in her mind when she realized she could ask and find out. She smacked her forehead. God, she was really out of it.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.” A few seconds later, she heard “Um… Sheppard. John.”

Her insides repeated their little flip from earlier. “Come in” she called, shaking the remaining droplets from her hair, hoping it didn’t look too much like a rat’s nest. She met him near her doorway and damn if he didn’t look fine all in black. _Focus_. She gestured for him to come inside, and she waved at the sensor to close the door. “I’m glad you came by. I think we need to talk.”

“Yeah,” he muttered. “We do.”

“You, uh… you probably saw me today with a man. I’d like to explain…”

He held up a hand. “Stop. I don’t… I mean, let me go first okay?”

She scowled. She didn’t like being interrupted. “All right. Go ahead.”

“Fine. Good.” He paused, then he said, “Ok, so what I came here to say was…” He took a deep breath. “If what happened between us was a one-time thing, and you want to be with someone else, I need to know. I mean, I need you to tell me that you, me… us… that it isn’t in the cards.” His voice softened. “I won’t bother you or anything. I mean, really… all I want is for you to be happy.”

Elizabeth gaped at him, mute. He was angry, and hurt. She had hurt him, which was the last thing she wanted to do. She ran a hand through her hair, frustrated by her inability to gain control of this situation. Of her emotions. Of her whole damn life.

His misread her silence. “Oh. Well… I guess I’ll...”

“No. John.” She inhaled deeply. “Please. Let me speak.”

He nodded, and the look in his eyes was haunting.

“God, there is so much to say. But I’m going to try to cut to the chase.” She held up a finger. “One: No, I do not want to be with anyone else.” She flicked her hand to include a second finger. “Two, I did go on a date with Mike Branton, and I did kiss him. Well, he kissed me.” 

Johns eyes went wide, and then stormy, but she continued. “I told him immediately after that I couldn’t get involved with him. That was a few weeks ago.” She refused to tell him that it was the same day she came to his room. That would not go over well. “Today, he approached me under the guise of professionalism for a working lunch meeting.” She scowled, remembering Mike’s arrogance. “Apparently that wasn’t exactly his intent, so I reminded him that anything beyond a professional relationship was not an option. He didn’t seem convinced,” she said derisively, “but I’ll deal with him if I need to.”

She walked towards him, placing her hands on his shoulders. “Because, if you’re up for it, I’d like to give this a try.” She smiled up at him. “I haven’t quite figured out how to do it yet, and it might not be my most brilliant idea, but I’m willing if you are.”

The storm subsided, leaving behind a clear, pale blue. Grinning happily, John took her face in his hands and kissed her. It was a quick kiss, because he then began babbling, “Thank God! I’ve been going nuts all week wondering what the hell was going on. Today about sent me over the edge.” He pulled her into his arms, squeezing her tight. “I missed you. I’ve been meaning to talk to you for days. Did you know that you are never alone? That there are people around you all the damned time?”

Elizabeth smirked, avoiding his gaze. “I’m alone when I’m in my room, aren’t I?”

"Well yeah, but I wasn’t about to come to your quarters.”

 _Of course not,_ she thought to herself. _“_ Oh?” she purred, “why not?”

“Because…” John’s words trailed off and she could almost hear the gears grind in his head. “You know, I don’t know why not.”

Elizabeth’s smile deepened. _I’ll bet you don’t, flyboy. But I do._ “You have a point about the lack of privacy. I am not entirely sure what to do about that. Rodney, Ronon and Teyla already suspect something. They’ll be watching us.”

“Damn McCay. Just so you know, he started it. We saw you and that guy walking to the cafeteria and he just had to say something. I didn’t know about the two of you, and then they were all over me about it.” John stepped back, releasing her. “I didn’t like hearing about it like that.”

“He’s not important, John. Really.”

John rambled on, volume increasing with each word. “They were ridiculous. Both of them. I denied everything. I did to protect you, us. Our privacy. And they still wouldn’t let it go.” He paused. “Wait, you said Teyla knows now too?”

“I walked in on her, Rodney, Ronon in the west pier power distribution center’s control room. She was chastising Rodney for blabbing about what must have been a very interesting conversation about you.” She grinned. She really would have liked to have been a fly on that wall. “I only found out because Radek overheard the three of them, and he told me. But he doesn’t know the woman is me. So that’s a plus.”

John snorted angrily. “Radek too? Goddamn that McCay! I’ll slap his mouth right off his face if he says one more word!”

“John…”

“Fine. Okay. I won’t kill him. Maybe I’ll talk to McCay’s little flame instead – what’s-her-name. If I can’t shut him up, I’ll distract him. Heaven knows the man needs to get laid.”

Elizabeth couldn’t stop her laugh. “I don’t think that’s the solution to our problem.” She thought about it. “Couldn’t hurt, though.”

He sighed, “We have a problem. I don’t know how to keep this between us.” He glanced down at her. “That is what you want, isn’t it?”

“It is. I came up with three options…”

“Of course you did.”

She scrunched her nose at him. “They were, A.) We act like it didn’t happen and return to a professional relationship.”

“Hell no,” he blurted.

“Noted. May I continue?”

He grinned widely. “Go right ahead.”

“Our other two options are to … well, spend time together and see what happens. Either privately or publicly.” She stared into his eyes, serious. “I’m not comfortable with the entire city knowing about this, at least not yet.”

“Me either.” He reached out and caressed her hair. “Dammit, how are we going to do this?”

“I don’t know.”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” 

He was inching closer to her, and she wondered if things were going to get interesting. And when he started kissing her, she tried to coax herself into relaxing, to just enjoy the moment. But the lack of privacy must have been on his mind too, because he broke away from her.

“I will think of something. I will.” There was a determined spark in his eyes; she had seen that look before. “There has to be a way.”

“John, you don’t have to do this alone.”

“I know. But you have a city to run. And,” he grinned, “I do my best work when I’m highly motivated.”

“Ah, and are you highly motivated?” She had some ideas if he wasn’t.

He swept her up into his arms again and kissed her with such intensity it made her spine tingle. His hands were stroking her sides, then her back as he pulled her to him. Desire crackled in the air around them. And then he broke away from her, his eyes bright.

“I am now. Hang tight, ‘Lizbeth. I think I have an idea.” And before she could blink, he was gone.

She tucked an unruly strand of hair behind her ear. _Wow. This might actually happen._


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later, Elizabeth was engrossed in the latest report from Stargate Command when there was a soft chirp in her earpiece. Teyla’s voice followed shortly after.

“Doctor Weir, would you be able to meet me in the cafeteria?”

“Certainly. Is anything wrong?”

“Not at all. There is something I think you will wish to see.”

She grinned. One of them had found something interesting. She hurried towards the cafeteria, but stopped short when she saw only Teyla waiting for her just outside the doorway. In her hand was a small, folded piece of paper.

“Hello, Teyla. What is it you needed to show me?”

“Hello, Elizabeth. Please know that I have not read this, and you both can count on my discretion in regard to this matter.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “This is from John.”

Heat flashed onto her cheeks. A love note? That seemed… rather un-John-like. She started to unfold it when Teyla said, “Oh! Do not read it here. I was instructed to tell you to go to the third transporter to the left of the training arena and read it there.” She smiled. “I can see you are confused, but those were his instructions.”

“Well, thank you Teyla.”

“I assure you; I will treat what I know with the utmost secrecy. John and I spoke at length, in private.”

They had? Elizabeth lifted her head, forcing herself back into her professional persona. “I appreciate your discretion. Thank you.” She peered down at the note. This was his brilliant idea?

“Perhaps you should be going then? I believe his expectation was for you to do this now.”

“Oh! Yes. I’m sorry, this is a little unexpected.” And embarrassing.

Teyla’s smile was wide. “Then I bid you good day.”

Elizabeth ran a hand through her hair, the soft curls returning to rest against her temples. She would do as she was told. As she walked, her mind churned over Teyla and the fledging relationship she had with John. She supposed it made sense – if anyone could be trusted, it was her. And she seemed happy for them.

When she arrived at the training arena, she passed the doorway and continued for quite some time. The third transporter was unexpectedly far away, almost near the end of the corridor. If she had to guess, she was near one of the two large outer areas of the city – either the east or west pier.

She stopped in front of it and finally unfolded the note. It read:

> _Elizabeth –_
> 
> _First, I thought we might need an ally. I’d trust Teyla with my life, so I hope you will understand why I told her. She’s agreed to help in whatever way she can._
> 
> _Second, I have been doing some off-hours research into certain features of the city. If I can interact with the chair and the puddle jumpers, I figured I could interact with other things around here. I was right. Get in the transporter and tap the touchscreen 3 times. Then tap the orange rectangle at the top._
> 
> _See you soon,_
> 
> _John_

Excitement and curiosity bubbled in her chest. This was actually rather clever of him; she was impressed. When the transporter doors opened, bright sunshine and the scent of the sea flooded her senses. She stepped into a small room, devoid of furniture. At the far end there was a glass wall, with an open doorway that led to a tiny, but not empty balcony.

John was leaning against the railing, waiting for her. “Well,” he said, sweeping his arm dramatically, “what do you think?”

She approached him cautiously, repeatedly reminding herself that she was not afraid of heights. The damp breeze, tinged with salt, was warm against her skin. The main control tower was off to her right, and she could see the majority of Atlantis spread out before her. It was quite a sight.

“Where are we?” she murmured.

John moved to stand beside her. “I’m not sure – I think we’re in some part of the tower on the west pier.” He pointed upwards. “We’re not at the top though.”

She stretched forward slightly and saw he was correct. “How did you find this place?”

“I asked.”

“You asked the city for a room with a view?”

“No, I asked a transporter for a private meeting room, and it brought me here. I had no idea where here was, so I asked for instructions to get here, and return, and it provided them.” 

Elizabeth blinked. Was it really that simple? Did they just need to ask the city for what they needed? “Could you ask the city for other things? Like supplies? And something to solve our power problems?”

He cringed slightly. “Well, maybe, but it took me about ten transporters before I finally found one that did what I asked it.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, it’s not that simple. But Elizabeth,” he said softly, moving behind her and enveloping her in his arms, “it’s private. And no one knows how to get here.”

She leaned against him. He was right. They were alone, and this was one hell of a view. They stood together, saying nothing. It was calming; the comfort and the silence. She felt the rise and fall of his chest against her back, the slight warmth from his breath on her neck. She put her hand over his, feeling the roughness with her thumb. He interlaced his fingers with hers, and she marveled over the fact that she was actually doing this with John Sheppard. She could smell the standard issue detergent in his shirt, the slight hint of soap, and something a touch metallic that was probably related to all the weaponry he was so fond of toting around.

“I could get used to this,” she murmured.

“Me too.” 

He spun her around gently and kissed her. She leaned into him and their hunger for each other reignited. Soon he had her pressed against the slim wall of the balcony, his hands roaming her body while hers were focused on his neck and his now-disheveled hair. There was an undercurrent of need, an urgency that overwhelmed her. She wondered if he felt it too, until he broke away.

His hair was as wild as his eyes, and he ran his fingers through it to tame both. “We… I… I don’t want to do this here.”

She scanned the barren room. Not ideal, but her libido was considering it. Fortunately, every other fiber of her being was screaming loud enough to drown out any temporary lust-fueled insanity. Her rational mind saw this for what it was – unresolved sexual tension. “You’re right. We just… wind each other up a bit.”

“A bit? Jesus.” He inhaled deeply releasing his breath slowly. “You deserve better.” He cupped her face in his palms and pressed his forehead to hers. “No. I’ll find something for us. Just give me a little more time.” She sensed his frustration, his focus on a goal she doubted was achievable. Maybe they’d have to go public after all, despite his efforts to keep things private.

Still, they were adults, not randy teenagers. They could spend time together and not have it end between the sheets.

“John,” she said, placing her hand on his arm, “this is fine. I’m thrilled you found it. Maybe we could have lunch or dinner up here sometimes. Like a picnic.”

“A picnic? You know, that’s not a bad idea.”

“I liked it.”

“It is… but not here. What’s on your agenda for the rest of the day?”

“Catching up on paperwork. Fighting the daily fires as they come in. Nothing out of the ordinary. Why?”

“Meet me at the jumper bays at sixteen… four o’clock. If you need to, write it up as a maintenance run for one of the jumpers.” He took her hands in his. “I’m going to take you on a picnic. Would you like to go on a date with me?”

Elizabeth blushed. “Okay.”

“Great. I’ll see you in a couple hours.” He kissed her quickly and then headed towards the transporter. “Oh! I should probably show you how to get back from here.”

She put her hand on her hip. “Yeah, that might help.”

~~/// \\\\\~~

John was happy yet frustrated. Neither feeling was unfamiliar, but it was strange combination for him. Two week ago, he’d taken Elizabeth to the mainland, and they’d had their first date. He thought it went great, and was pretty sure she did too. They’d managed to keep their hands off each other, spending most of their time walking, talking and watching the sun set. He’d grown fearful of exotic insects after dark, so he shuffled them back to Atlantis in record time. The jumper bay was deserted when they returned; a fortunate coincidence he sensed wouldn’t happen a second time.

The next few days were spent off-world on missions, but when he came back, his search for an appropriate place for him and Elizabeth continued. He went back to the room with a view, and he’d coaxed Atlantis into releasing the room’s furniture from the storage compartments under the floor. It wasn’t fancy, just furniture you’d find in a small conference room, but he did invite her, via Teyla, to two brown bag lunches. The lunches were long, but more friendly than romantic. He labeled them as information-gathering sessions. He didn’t know all the details of what she liked, but he was learning.

She didn’t like black olives. She did like Italian dressing. She preferred waffles to pancakes. She drank her coffee with way too little sugar. And she loved dark chocolate.

She wasn’t into sports, but she did like certain movies. Her preference was for the late 70’s martial arts films, and she had a soft spot for Jackie Chan. She was a huge fan of the television series Kung Fu. They’d had a heated discussion over it, since martial arts flicks were pretty violent, and he was certain she was a ‘pen is mightier than the sword’ type of person.

He knew he was falling for her. His need to have her again was surpassing desperation, yet his search continued to be fruitless. All living spaces were in the same main areas. He was dead set against any sexual encounters in either of their quarters, and although there were plenty of other empty spaces available, they weren’t an option due to location.

He wanted her to be comfortable. He knew women enjoyed it more when they weren’t overthinking. In her case, it would be along the lines of: ‘would someone knock on the door’, or ‘would someone hear them’. There were quite a few things he’d wanted to do to her, and he wanted the appropriate environment to do them.

He’d tried countless transporters, and even the chair late one night. His explorations had to be off the clock, so his free time was spent walking or jogging his way through corridor after corridor, hunting for anything suitable. This continued for days, and he knew he was getting a little obsessed. But he was unwilling to give up. There _had_ to be something in this stupid alien city. It was a freaking city, after all.

He dragged himself out of bed, the 0800 alarm far too early for his liking. He’d gotten about five hours of sleep last night, and probably the same the night before. He showered and dressed quickly, heading out for his briefing with the team at 0830.

They were on scout duty off-world today. Mission was on a hot, dusty, god-forsaken shithole of a planet, and after six hours of wandering around in Desert Locust goggles and sweaty fatigues, he was about done with this world, his job, and everything in general. This was yet another waste of time and energy.

“Let’s head back,” he called to Ronon and Teyla. “This is a dead end.”

“Agreed. This planet is unpleasant.”

Ronon snorted while Teyla dialed the DHD. The trio nearly ran through the active Stargate once it engaged.

Elizabeth and McCay were waiting in the control room for their report when they returned.

“Nothing at all?” Elizabeth asked, dismayed. She turned to Rodney. “I thought you said you got good readings from the MALP.”

“I did. There were clear indications of a Level 2 power source within a mile of the gate.”

“There wasn’t anything there, McCay,” John sneered. “Unless you want to build a sandcastle.” He shook his head, sending sand and dust flying. “There. I brought some home for you.”

“I knew I should have gone,” Rodney huffed. “You can’t find the broad side of a barn without me.”

John’s temper flared and he ripped his goggles from around his neck and threw them at Rodney. “You think you can do better? You go on out there and try.”

McCay caught them, surprising them both. “Well, I just might,” he said haughtily. He made a point of wiping the lenses with his shirt. “Jeez, how can you see out of these things?” He inspected them against the lights in the ceiling. “They’re all scratched. No wonder you couldn’t see the giant, glowing power source that should have been blinking bright red on the scanner I gave you.” He blinked at John. “You did bring the scanner with you, right?”

“You didn’t say anything about a scanner this morning,” Ronon growled.

“I didn’t? I thought I gave it to you.” He walked over to the balcony above the Stargate. “Oh,” Rodney said, pointing. “There it is.”

They followed him and sure enough, there was a black device sitting atop two silver supply crates off to the left of the Stargate. 

“McCay, you neglected to tell us we needed to bring a scanner to the planet,” John purred, his words coated in hostility.

“Well, if you had brought me along, you wouldn’t have had this problem, now would you?”

Elizabeth’s voice was firm. “Gentlemen, please. Rodney, we discussed this. You have documentation to finish; it’s long overdue. John, your team will have to go back tomorrow.”

“The hell we will. That place is an absolute wasteland, and I told you, there’s _nothing_ _there_. If McCay wants to continue this wild goose chase – he can go right ahead. Alone.”

“Bullshit. There’s absolutely something there. It’s not my fault you’re too busy worrying about getting dirt in your hair to remember to bring a _scanner_ on a _scanning_ mission.”

"Excuse me?” John took a step towards McCay, and he sensed Ronan right behind him.

“Enough!” Elizabeth pressed her fingers against her temples. “We’re done with this today. We can discuss it in the morning.”

“So,” McCay asked, “do I get to go or not?” He held up John’s goggles. “If so, can I get a better pair of these?”

She pointed towards the stairs. “Out, Rodney.” 

John was hurrying towards McCay, intent to swipe back his gear from the man’s grasp, when Elizabeth called his name. He knew she was angry, but he didn’t much care at the moment. He was sweaty, sandy and sick of dealing with Rodney’s bullshit. 

“What.”

Her eyes widened when his gaze met hers. Her pretty brows furrowed across her forehead. “Are you okay? You don’t look so great.”

“I’m fine.”

She huffed softly. “You’re still looking for it, aren’t you.”

“Not gonna quit.”

“John, if this is going to impact your work, I may have to ask you to. I need you at your best.”

“’Lizbeth, nothing’s going to happen to me. I’m fine.”

“Are you? Have you looked at yourself lately? You’re exhausted. You haven’t shaved in days. You were about to murder my lead scientist.” She started pacing behind her desk. “John, you know how dangerous these gate worlds can be. What if you got hurt? I can’t have you stuck in rehab for weeks, if not months, and I most certainly can’t have you getting yourself killed! Definitely not over some quest to find a…” Her cheeks flushed, and her voice was just above a whisper. “… a love nest.”

She was cute when she did stuff like this. So prim and proper. Her words finally registered, and a very bright idea chimed to life in his mind.

“Rehab!”

“What?”

“That’s it!” He moved forward to kiss her and then stopped short, remembering where they were, and that he was currently doubling as a sweat-stained sand factory. “You,” he pointed at her, “are a genius.” He sprinted towards the door. “And I will definitely be thanking you later,” he leered.

He left her standing there, confusion painted across her face, but he didn’t care. Shower, apparently shave, and then he was going hunting again. This time near Medical.

~~/// \\\\\~~

Elizabeth felt better. She had sent John and his team back to MR7-116 yesterday, this time with Rodney and his scanner, and much to everyone but Rodney’s dismay, there was indeed something emanating power. It was underground, and a different team was there now determining how to reach it. She’d given them until the end of the day tomorrow, and then they’d abandon it. 

She did listen. The conditions on the planet must have been truly terrible. She didn’t approve of sending people to work in hostile environments for an extended period of time. A day or two was okay, but anything beyond that wasn’t worth the risk.

Still, she was pleased with how the mission went, and how she handled it. Her ability to focus was now magically restored, and she realized she’d been dreading having a disagreement with John. They’d argued often in the past, and it hadn’t mattered, because it was within the context of their jobs. Now it was personal, and Elizabeth didn’t like conflict in her relationships. She wasn’t about to let a man make demands of her; she’d proven that to herself with Simon. But this thing with John was fragile. She wasn’t sure what he’d was going to do when she point-blank ordered him and his team to return to the planet.

Turns out, although he wasn’t happy about it, he did as she asked. She was standing at the gate when they returned, and the eye-roll John sent her when he walked through confirmed that Rodney was correct. Mere seconds later, the man himself went on a two-minute tirade about how horrid the planet was and how he shouldn’t have needed to go in the first place. This from the same man who begged and pleaded to go six hours earlier. Unbelievable.

Nevertheless, a weight she hadn’t realized she was carrying had been lifted. She could focus on her work again, her mind finally clear. She did wonder if she’d hear from Teyla today, as a lunch with John would help cement her newly restored confidence. Plus, she actually enjoyed his company. The man behind the military was quite interesting. She’d seen glimpses beyond that wall of bravado, and they intrigued her.

Sadly, the day passed without any interruptions. It was late when she wrapped things up, a sense of accomplishment humming through her. She’d made a significant dent in backlogged emails and paperwork, and even tidied her desk a little. Productivity was always its own reward.

When she opened the door to her room, she almost stepped on the folded paper on her floor. She grinned happily, knowing it was from him.

It read:

> _You are a genius. I found us a “ LOVE NEST”, as you so called it. If you want to see it for yourself, take the main transporter to the East Pier. Go to the Isolation Room area, where we kept Michael. From there, walk to the end of the corridor until you see the smaller transporter tucked off to the right. Once there, tap on the 2nd set of rectangles on the upper right of the screen._
> 
> _You’ll understand once you’re there._
> 
> _John_

Joy bubbled in her chest. He was such a stubborn thing. But damn if that stubbornness didn’t make miracles happen.

She chuckled softly to herself. Yup, she had to go see it. She tried to appear casual as she hurried through Medical, past the Isolation Rooms. Her heart was thumping when she found the cubbyhole for the transporter. She followed the instructions and the doors opened to a near-black hallway.

She stepped forward and vertical lighting clicked on along the walls in sequence, revealing marked doors on either side of the corridor. The architecture was exactly like the main living areas in the southeast pier, only the hallway didn’t curve. It reminded her of a hospital, and … of course. That’s what this was, and that’s how John had found it. ‘Rehab’, indeed.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she discovered the larger glass panels halfway down the hallway. They housed a smaller clone of the Medical lab and its workstation arrangement. Beyond that area, tucked in the back far right corner, was an opening which led to another room. From what she could see, it contained a layout similar to what was in the gym. The flooring was identical. Physical therapy.

She hadn’t thought to search Atlantis for anything like this. Not because they didn’t need it, but because they’d made do with what they already found. In the early months, it was barely enough. But during that time, either the injured recovered quickly, or sadly, didn’t survive long enough for extended care. There was a lot they didn’t know back then. Now, those who did need rehabilitative care were sent home to Earth.

It made sense that this was here. The Ancients weren’t on an expedition. This was their home. She knew they evolved to heal themselves, and others, but they weren’t always that way. And the Wraith did a number on their population. Of course they’d have facilities like this, and she chastised herself for not having her people dig deeper into the Medical area when they first arrived.

She entered one of the living spaces across from the lab, surprised by how large it was. The bathing area was designed to accommodate people with disabilities – an open shower rather than a bath, raised carvings along the walls to act as handrails, two large sinks and a strange-looking toilet area.

The room also contained a larger bed with a single sheet covering it, open shelves instead of dressers, and an alcove that might be a kitchenette. She noticed the lack of curtains and realized the room had no windows. Instead, artificial light came from the ceiling as well as sculptured cylinders lining the wall behind the bed. She touched one, and the light for all the cylinders dimmed.

She explored the alcove but nothing domestic appeared. She was wishing, not for the first time, that she had the ATA gene, when she heard a soft scrape behind her. She spun around, but relaxed when she saw John leaning against the doorway.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you might be up here. And even if you weren’t, I wanted to do a little more exploring.”

She ran to him and hugged him tightly, his body tensing in surprise. “John! Look at what you found!” Her heart warmed at the adorable befuddled expression on his face. “This is amazing. You are amazing.”

“You like it, huh?”

“More than like it. It’s fantastic. Do you know how useful would this have been when we first arrived? Just think, now we can treat people longer term. No more shuffling people through the gate bridge in Puddle Jumpers, or waiting for the _Daedalus._ ”

“Um…”

“We could set up two separate Medical areas now. One for triage and one for more routine care. We could bring in more doctors, Heaven only knows we could use them…” Her voice trailed off when she saw John’s face.

His lips were tight. “If that’s what you want.”

“Well, it’s what’s…” _best for the city._ Like a ton of bricks, it hit her. She could do the right thing and make use of this new facility, or she do the _other_ right thing and keep it a secret - in order to develop her relationship with John.

It was a choice. One that she had struggled with throughout her life. Which was more important - professional or personal? What was the ‘best’ right thing to do?

John had spent weeks looking for this. Not for the city, but for them. He had made his choice. He had made their relationship his priority.

Insight scorched through Elizabeth’s mind, or maybe it burned through her soul. It was an understanding, more of herself than anything, but she knew she’d remember this as the moment she fell hard for John Sheppard. Because unlike Mike Branton, who was interested in her because she was something _he_ wanted, here was John, rough around the edges and far from eloquent, who lost sleep and scoured the city for something _they_ wanted. Who was she kidding? He found this for _her._

This was core to who he was. John didn’t do anything for himself. He wasn’t that kind of guy. He did things for others. He took insane risks, pushed himself to his limits and then some. But never for his own gratification. Never for glory. He did it to save or protect people, especially those he cared about.

This was why she was drawn to him. Her instincts saw a long time ago what her conscious mind refused to accept – that here was a man who would stand with her through anything. Here was a man who would make her a priority, who would understand her life. He wouldn’t make demands or be a burden. In fact, he might even be able to help. John, or someone a hell of a lot like him, was what she needed in a companion.

The realization shook her, squeezing her throat when she tried to speak. “John, I…”

“It’s okay,” he interrupted. “You’re right – the city needs this.” The hurt in his voice crushed her. This confusion between them was her fault, and it had to stop.

“No.” Her words were sharper than she intended. She shook her head, shaking away any remnants of uncertainty. She was done with her own insecurities and indecisiveness. He’d made his choice and she was making hers. “No. You found this for us, and that’s what it’ll be, until we decide otherwise.”

The hurt melted to bewilderment. “You’re sure?”

She took his head in her hands and pressed her forehead to his. “Absolutely.” Then she kissed him.

~~/// \\\\\~~

When John was twelve, he’d been smitten with a pretty little blonde in his class. Tina Rosenfeld. Not willing to humiliate himself, he’d asked around to see if she liked him too. Rumor came back she did. But when he finally got up enough courage to ask her out after school one Friday, she’d said no.

Heartbroken, he’d spent that entire weekend locked in his room, playing video games and refusing to talk to anyone. His best friend finally got him to answer his phone, and John had told him what happened. What the boy said next stuck with John for years, and was echoing through his head now.

“ _Girls are crazy, John. And they make us crazy, too. But I think that’s why we like them_.”

He’d busted his ass finding this place for her, and she loved it. A deep happy thing had purred in his chest when she said how amazing he was.

But then three seconds later, she said wanted to use it for the city, because – of course she did. Elizabeth always put the needs of others before her own.

His mind was scrambling to come to terms with the disappointment, the rejection. He knew she was right. What he’d found was a gold mine, and the people here could benefit from it. But dammit, this was supposed to be for them!

“John, I…”

She was going to tell him she was sorry. He knew it; he could see the turmoil in her eyes, hear it in her voice. “It’s okay.” He choked on his next words. “You’re right – the city needs this.” He thought that’s what she wanted to hear.

He was wrong.

“No!” She shook her head violently. “No. You found this for us, and that’s what it’ll be, until we decide otherwise.”

Wow. She was serious.

“You’re sure?” He had to know.

“Absolutely.” And then she was kissing him, that deep happiness was warming his entire chest, and he knew Ronon was right. He did have it pretty damn bad.

He surrendered himself to it, to her. He had no other choice. If this was what love was, well then, so be it.

His focus dimmed to nothing but her – her lips, her skin, the complex mixture of softness and strength beneath his roaming hands. She led him to the bed, and they stood beside it. Mutual understanding passed between them, and they undressed slowly, the undercurrent of urgency hovering between them. He chuckled softly as she made a fuss of removing her watch and placing it on one of the shelves.

They sat together, each exploring the other. She would quiver when he ran his fingers over certain spots, and he made a mental note of those. Her hands had a similar effect on him; it was something she did with her fingernails, a feather-light sensation that was clouding his senses. She was driving him mad like before, and he didn’t want that. He wanted to taste her, to feel her come against his tongue. He pushed her gently down to the bed, hovering above her while letting his hands and mouth travel down her body. Damn if she wasn’t as sexy as hell.

She tensed when he parted her thighs, and he raised his head. There was uncertainty in those grey-green eyes, and he wondered why. Hadn’t other men done this to her?

“This okay?” he murmured.

“I… yes, but… I’ll let you know when to stop.”

“Stop?”

“Before I…”

What? Did some jerk she was with have a problem with women who came? He scoured her face and saw he was right.

“I’m not like that,” he told her. He brushed his lips against her stomach, and along her side. He felt her weight shift as she spread her legs for him, and she gasped when he finally tasted her.

He took his time, testing with his tongue and his finger, discovering what she liked. She made it easy; she was reacting to him, and the little whimpers and pants she made were making his blood boil. He felt his own body throb, but he pushed it aside. This was about her, not him.

His licks were slow, and hard, and her whimpers rose to soft cries. He didn’t stop, and when she started to squirm, he held her legs steady and increased his pace. Her body shifted and tensed, and her breathing was choppy, until finally, with a few light, fast caresses, he sent her over the edge. Her back was arched, and he drove his tongue deep within her, feeling her spasms.

He wiped his mouth and sat up. She was breathing heavily, her hands still grasping the sheet and her head turned to one side, eyes closed. She really was beautiful, laid out before him like a pale goddess. He felt his chest tighten. He wanted to do this to her, again and again.

He moved towards her and lightly kissed her temple. Her body twitched when he ran his fingers over her breast, and he smiled to himself. She’d need a little time to recover.

“John…” she murmured thickly. “Christ, that was…”

“Hmm?”

Her eyes finally opened to meet his. She huffed softly, “Damn.” Then she rolled over towards him, propping herself up on one arm. She ran two fingers lightly through his hair, her grin wide. “Pleased with yourself, are you?”

“Might be.” He was feeling quite smug, but then she wrapped her hand around him, and his brain clouded over. There was something she did, something in the way she touched him with her thumb, that was hitting the exact right spot.

She pushed him over onto his back and straddled him. Her eyes were dark when she reached down, and they both groaned when he entered her. It was a wet, tight warmth and when she started to move, to ride him, he let her. She was slow, then fast, and he let it be nothing but her. He tilted his hips upward, and she growled her pleasure, increasing her pace. She was leaning over him, her breath choppy, when he grabbed her and moved with her. Her cries grew louder, higher and he pounded into her, straining to bury himself as deep as possible.

She felt so damn good. He was surrounded by heat and friction and damn, she just felt so fucking _good._ He lost his control after that, wanting nothing but to feel her body sheathed around him, rubbing against him in a delightfully vicious cycle of tension and retreat. He felt his own need, the near-deafening cry for pleasure, but he fought it until she came, her moans loud against his neck as she lost herself to it, to him. Her body contracted and eased, and he rode her through it all, growling at the intensity until it spiked to delicious brilliance, catching his breath and shooting stars across the blackened landscape of his mind.

_Shit._ She did things to him. His head was spinning.

He felt her roll off him and they lay together, side by side, until their breathing returned to normal. The sheet on the bed was twisted beneath them uncomfortably, so John stood and tugged at it until it was free.

He settled back under it, cloaking her beneath it as well. She rolled over, and nestled herself beside him, draping her arm over his chest. There was a stillness around them, an almost eerie silence. He suspected he dozed off for a bit, because it startled him when she moved.

She was leaning over him. “I owe you an apology. Things between us would have gone a lot smoother if we had just talked the night after I came to your room. I was… confused, I guess. No, that’s not it.” She took a deep breath.“I was scared. I still am.”

He knew, but asked anyway. “Scared of what?”

“This. Us. Making another mistake.” She looked away. “Getting hurt. Hurting you.”

“C’mere.” He shifted to face her, reaching for her hand. “You don’t think I’m worried about this too? I have a pretty bad track record with actual relationships.” He swallowed hard, and voiced what he was thinking. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

She scoffed. “You are anything but a disappointment.”

He scoffed back, “Oh, you’ll see. Give it time.”

Her eyes grew serious. “We are going to have to learn how to talk about things, you know.”

“Yeah, probably.”

“I am still responsible for this city, and everyone in it.”

“I know.”

“There are going to be times, like with MR7-116, when we’ll disagree.”

“Elizabeth, I know.” He propped himself up on one elbow and stared back at her. “I am not blind. This place and these people mean everything to you. I may get pissed off about things, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to do what’s best for everyone here, too. Cuz that’s _my_ job.” He paused, mulling the words over in his mind. “If there comes a time when you and I have a genuine difference of opinion, and the world isn’t about to come to an end, we can talk it out.”

She blinked at him. “Oh, well then.” She was quiet, and then said, “I needed to hear that.”

“Yeah, well I needed to hear you choose us over Atlantis, so I guess we’re even.” He paused, surprised the words had actually left his mouth.

She sighed heavily. “God, I want this to work. You are amazing, in more ways than one. But I’m not going to sugar coat it. This is going to be hard for me. My job is to do what’s best for everyone here.”

“It’s my job too. Really, it’s everybody’s job. This expedition is a team effort. But the rest of us aren’t sacrificing our own happiness in order to do their jobs, and you are.”

Her eyes flashed, and he held her gaze. “But what about…”

“They aren’t, Elizabeth.” For added measure, he said, “Exhibit A: Rodney McCay.”

“Yes, but…”

“Zelenka. Ronon. Lorne. Hell, even Teyla takes time to visit her people and do her weird hobbies.” And kick his ass in the training arena. “We all take some time for ourselves. But you don’t, and you should.”

She was quiet for a moment, and then mumbled, “Hmm, you might be right.”

He ran his hand down her side. “I’m also biased, but hey, no one’s perfect.”

She bit her lip. Her mind just never quit, and despite it being highly annoying sometimes, he really liked that about her. “You do understand though, sometimes I won’t have a choice. Sometimes Atlantis has to come first.”

“You mean like when we’re under attack from the Genii? Or there are Wraith Hive ships overhead? Or the sun is imploding? You know, all the crazy stuff that happens to us all the time, no matter what we do?”

She laughed. “Yes, that’s when I won’t have a choice.”

“Well, let’s hope that the disasters stay away for a little while longer.” He pushed her onto her back and straddled her. “There are a quite a few things we still need to do.”

Her eyes went wide, and he smiled down at her, kneeing her legs apart. “Starting with this.” 

~~/// **EPILOGUE** \\\\\~~

Elizabeth and John kept their relationship a secret for as long as possible. But no one can hide their happiness forever, and when another Wraith attack on a gate planet nearly decimated the population and destroyed their cities, they both chose to reveal the long-term medical facility and used it to house the many injured survivors.

They decided they would tell the core team only, in a simple and direct way. She started the daily standup with the statement that she had an announcement, and then took John’s hand in hers. “We are together. I assure you it will not impact our professional lives nor our abilities to lead this expedition.” She looked at John and then her team. “I hope all of you can respect our request to keep this information private.”

John’s hand tightened around Elizabeth’s. “It won’t change anything, guys. Really.”

Both were taken aback when Lorne said, “Don’t worry, we’ve known. It’s all good.”

“What?” Elizabeth whipped her head to Teyla, who raised her hands defensively.

“I said _nothing_.” She looked at Lorne. “And I did not know that others were aware.”

“Yeah, well, it was kind of obvious, wasn’t it?” McCay gestured to John and Elizabeth. “You completely stopped flirting with each other. And you both were smiling, like, _all the time_.”

“Rodney is correct,” Radek stated. “I figured it out quite easily.”

“You also were eavesdropping,” Rodney snarled, “so you already knew something was up. If you weren’t so nosey, you’d have never figured it out.”

“Bullshit. You were the one that brought it up after they…”

“Okay, let’s all agree it was obvious.” Ronon focused on John. “Well, one of you was.”

“Hey! I didn’t know,” Dr. Jennifer Keller said. “I’m happy for you both.”

“Well then,” Elizabeth replied, “let’s move on, shall we?”

Two weeks later, Mike Branton showed up in Medical with a split lip and a quickly blackening eye. He claimed he was lifting a heavy box of supplies up onto a shelf, and it fell, the contents hitting his face. But Jennifer wasn’t an idiot. She filed the report as an accident, including Mike’s description of the events. Yet she wondered what in the world the good-looking man had done to cause someone to bash him so hard upside his head.

She never did find out, and neither did Elizabeth. But Mike Branton never bothered her again.


End file.
